As a contractor, you stand alone on your skills, talents and communication skills in order to secure the best projects for your niche. There’s a lot of competition out there, especially since the Great Recession spurned others like you to try and make a living on their own. Things have calmed down since 2009, and many contractors have lingered in the field after they discovered how great it can be to work for yourself. It’s a mobile ready world, and now as a contractor you need to ensure your online presence is competitive.

Most of your potential clients will start searching for contractor by Googling key words. For example, if you specialize in finishing basements in Kansas, your clients are Googling things like “Kansas finish basement contractor.” You need to show up on the first page of Google search results if not in the top three. You also need to have a killer website, and here’s how you get started:

1. Dominate with SEO and LSEO

Search engine optimization and local SEO is crucial for contractors because that’s how you improve your rankings when people search for your keywords. This isn’t something that you can learn in a jiffy or do yourself. Hire an SEO guru to at least get the foundation set. This is a tax write-off and it’s much more affordable to manage SEO once the pillars are in place.

2. A mobile version of the site

Mobile readiness is crucial and can also include an app (although most solo contractors aren’t going to need that). You do, however, need a mobile version of your website because the majority of clients at least research contractors on mobile devices before making a decision. You need to ensure your website displays beautifully no matter the device or browser used.

3. A gallery that loads quickly

People want to see what kind of results you will deliver, and a gallery is crucial. It needs to be high quality, include before and after photos, preferably testimonials and it also needs to load quickly. Fast page loads are part of SEO, and nobody is going to wait for your slow gallery to appear. Fast image loads require the right display, size and formatting.

4. A blog

A blog should only be undertaken if you can contribute to it on a regular basis. However, it’s a great way to show your personality, engage with clients and become a thought leader in your industry.

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About AuthorVinod is Tech blogger. He contributes to the Blogging, Gadgets, Social Media and Tech News section on DigitalYcia.